What is Iraneus' theodicy?

The problem of evil questions how an all-knowing, all-loving and all-powerful God is consistent with the existence of evil in the world. Iraneus’ theodicy is a response to the problem of evil, and his argument starts off by stating the importance of developing our souls. He argued that human beings are born as incomplete creatures, and that their primary goal is to become developed people. In order to develop ourselves it is essential that we suffer at the hands of evil, and that we have free will so that we can also react to it. His thinking is that Through our own suffering, we become better and more mature people who are now good enough to enter eternal paradise in the presence of God. It should be noted that some of these ideas have been developed by John Hick who studied Iraneus.